


The Rook Sacrifice Gambit

by DKGwrites



Series: NoK - SuperCorp [9]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: CheckMate - Freeform, F/M, Fanfiction, Next of kin, Pre-Supercorp - Freeform, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 08:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20043319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DKGwrites/pseuds/DKGwrites
Summary: With Jack on the verge of selling the company, Lena makes a desperate move to secure her mission and protect her friend.





	The Rook Sacrifice Gambit

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a prequel to the first book in the Next of Kin series. If you haven't read that yet, please do not continue. This contains spoilers. If you've read NoK, well, here's the eight of several short pieces of some backstory that I plan to post. I hope that it helps to flesh out some of the characters and fills in some questions for you all. The prequels should be read in this order: 'Queen Takes Pawn', 'Queen's Pawn to Queen Four', 'Kiss of Death', 'Swiss Gambit', 'Alligator Sp3rm', 'Perchance to Dream', and 'Purple Knights'.

It was the summer of 2014. Barack Obama was on his second term as president, ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift was topping the charts, and Jack and Lena were a full three years into their partnership. The little apartment above the garage was theirs now, the big bedroom hers at his insistence and what she had not jokingly called a storage closet now his room. Most of their time was spent in the garage below anyway, the garage/lab where they spent days and often nights working together and attempting to crack the nanotech code that continued to elude them. They were partners in every way… well… most every way. All good things must come to an end, just ask America.

“Jack, you’re…you’re overreacting.” Lena stood stiffy near the entrance to the kitchen, arms crossed and gaze intent as she took in every motion, every twitch, sigh, and grunt, as she watched him unravel.

In stark contrast to her controlled nature, Jack paced and took up as much space as possible in their small shared area. His arms waved about when they weren’t pulling at his beard, the one he’d started growing-in the day she’d dropped of the check and commented something off-handedly about one suiting him, or when he wasn’t squeezing the back of his neck. He tugged his hair, which was luckily thick but might not last out the day at the rate he was going. Eyes wide and panic growing, he spun and wheeled with each building moment.

“Am I? Am I truly, Lena?” he asked, as he turned to her and then spun away with little more than a courtesy glance.

“Yes, you truly are. That’s why I said it,” she replied, her body still wound in tightly, a spring holding its form while the machine raged around her. “Why don’t I make us both some tea, and we can just sit down and discuss this like two rational adults?”

“You think I’m being irrational?”

This wasn’t the first time this morning he had snapped at something she’d said, but he seemed to be growing more sensitive with each exchange. Over these years, Lena had become an expert at recognizing these moods, of noting when the tension that rode his shoulders leaked forth into their discussions. With a few careful words, she would inject some wry humor until he was distracted, and then she’d guide him back to the research. It had become a tried and true method, but as any scientist could tell you, within a carefully regulated and controlled environment, the organism would do whatever the hell it wanted.

Lena took several calming breaths, her words measured to contain any hint of her impatience from being revealed. “I didn’t say that, Jack. As a matter of fact, I nearly said the opposite of that. I said you were capable of a rational discussion. Now, about that tea—”

As Lena tried to walk by him, Jack stepped into her path. Though he didn’t touch her, didn’t even reach out, it was an unusual show of force from this mild-mannered man. “You think tea is going to help this situation?”

“You think being a prat is going to help this situation?” When Jack recoiled, clearly surprised by Lena’s quick retort, she cursed herself silently for allowing her inner Luthor to leak out and gave him a small and apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I’m a bit temperamental.”

He shrugged, stepping back from her personal space as he mumbled, “Well, at least that’s showing me something.”

“What?”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t want tea. Lena, we can’t keep doing this. We’ve spent three years trying to get someplace with this project, and we’re just going in circles, spinning our wheels. It’s time to admit we need help.”

“Jack, we’ve made progress.”

“Well, yes, on some aspects of the project. We’ve unlocked concepts in nanobyte technology about which others had only theorized before, but still, they’re behaving completely independent of each other.” He met her gaze for a split second before jerking away as he added, “That’s really the problem, isn’t it? This complete autonomy doesn’t allow us to… connect.”

“Us?”

“It doesn’t allow us to connect a protocol to them as a functioning unit,” he clarified, making eye contact once more. “You’ve said it yourself more than once. We can’t go in and program each one of these individually to act on… oh, say a cancer cell. Yes, we could have one nanobyte attacking one cancer cell, but the exponential growth of the cancer cells would so greatly overtake that nanobyte’s ability to destroy each one that it would be like fighting a forest fire with a garden hose.” He shrugged. “I do so love that analogy, Lena. It’s aptly descriptive. At any rate—”

“At any rate, we’re making progress. Look, maybe we don’t cure cancer.” She hurried to speak as he inhaled, ready to talk over her. “I want this just as much as you do, Jack. I believe in us. I believe in this, but the work is more important than we are. Maybe all we are is a footnote in the annuals of science as the predecessors of those who found the cure. Isn’t it more important to set the foundation for those who saved lives than to get tied to some corporation who would only **treat** diseases that made them money and never cure anyone?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then we keep doing good work, goodly work, Jack. I believe in us. Don’t you believe in us?”

“Us.” His laugh was small, weak.

“What’s that about?”

“Nothing,” he assured her. “Lena, the work is good, yes, critical. I just feel… stagnant. We’re stuck. I’m stuck. I’m the same person professionally, personally, that I was when you waltzed into my life three years ago.”

“What’s wrong with who you are? I like you.” She laid a hand on his arm, a gentle pressure like she had down so many times in the past.

He looked down at the press of her fingertips along his skin. Her fingers were cooler than his arm, and his hairs stood on end near where she touched him. It wasn’t electric. There was no spark between them, no conduit of anything they shared, but still, he jerked away. 

“You like me.” He nodded. “Yes, I’ve noticed.”

“Okay, I feel like we’re having two different conversations,” she said. “Is this about the nanobytes?”

“What else is there, between us, I mean?”

“I… see. Look, Jack—”

His cellphone rang, and they both turned to where it lay on the counter, a buzz rattling against the faux-granite top.

Slowly, Lena lifted an eyebrow as she looked at the display. As Jack reached for it, Lena stepped into him and grabbed his hand. “Don’t. Let is go to voicemail and talk to me.”

“I’ve got to get this.”

“Jack, don’t walk away from this.”

“It’s time to move on, Lena, time to move forward.”

As he tried to reach for the phone again, she squeezed his hand tighter. “I agree.” Swallowing hard, she took several ragged breaths. “Don’t…”

“Don’t what?” His laugh was hollow. “Don’t make a success out of a business that is floundering, a concept that hasn’t moved beyond infancy? Don’t what, Lena?”

“Don’t leave me.”

They fell into a silence that was only interrupted as the phone rang twice more before going to voicemail. Their hands gripped tightly as bodies pressed together, gazes cast in different directions as if to provide some relief from the sudden intimacy of the moment. They stood so close that they could each hear the other’s ragged breaths even over the pounding of their own hearts.

It took perhaps a half a minute before he asked, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, don’t leave me.” She lifted her face, finally making eye contact.

“Lena, if this is about the business—”

Just the tiniest shaking of her head stilled his voice. “It’s not. I don’t care about the business. Well, I care. I do care, but not like I care about… Look, Jack, we’ll talk about the business later. Sell it if that’s what you want. I won’t even try to talk you out of it if you’re hell-bent on it, but don’t leave me.”

“Lena I… Are you… Do you…?” His voice stuttered to life and stopped again and again as a hope long ago chocked into unconsciousness found voice again.

The jarring buzz of the phone interrupted the moment, and Lena grabbed, wordlessly answered it, and hung up again. She put it down with a bit too much force, then took a deep breath as a forced smile came to her lips. “Sorry, I’m… Sorry about that. I just want a few minutes to talk to you without dealing with that, all right?”

Jack immediately nodded his acquiescence.

“Thank you. Jack, I’m panicking right now. I’m picturing you selling off your shares in this, your 51%, boxing up your life, and just leaving. I don’t want that. I don’t want to watch you walk away. Do you want to walk away from me?”

“No, God no, Lena, but my life is—”

“Do you want to walk away from us?” She asked, a hand on his chest.

He grasped that hand close. “Is there an us?”

“Isn’t there? Shouldn’t there be?” She shook her head and released a heavy sigh, her head slumping forward momentarily before green eyes looked up imploringly. “Damn it, Jack, I’ve been an idiot. Tell me I’m not too late. Tell me I’m not alone in this.”

“Alone in…?”

“Feeling something here.”

“Oh, my God, Lena.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. “You’re not. You’re definitely not.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “Then don’t—” This time when the phone rang, Lena was quick to grab it up and yell, “Stop calling!” With a touch of finality, she hung up and tossed it to the floor. She stared at it there for several moments before she lifted her head as his movements mirrored her own. “I’m so sorry, Jack. I’ll buy you a new phone.”

Blinking at her several times, he stepped to the side and lifted a foot that he brought down with force, stomping the phone past the point of being serviceable. “You’ll have to. Now, where were we before we kept getting interrupted?”

As a smile slowly grew, she ran her free hand across the back of his neck and pulled his face down to hers. “Right about here I think.” 

Their lips crashed together. The first kiss was urgent and hungry. The second was no less so. His other arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her in even tighter. Moments later, he shifted so that he could lift her and deposit her on the counter. As he kissed his way down her neck, her fingers tangled with the buttons on his shirt, carefully releasing each one even amid the furious action. There was an odd noise from the ground, a sickly electronic buzz, and they both stopped mid-motion and turned to the broken bits of phone on the floor which once again attempted to ring. As laughter fell from them both, they leaned together, holding each other, friends first as they had been for so many years.

Gently pushing Jack back, Lena hopped off the countertop and took his hand, smiling at him as she walked backward out of the room and gently encouraged him after her. It didn’t really take much encouragement.

<><> 

It was hours later, both of them curled up in Lena’s bed, her mostly on her side and looking away and him flat on his back and smiling broadly before they truly spoke again.

“Lena?”

“Hmmm?”

“Are you, uh…?”

When he said nothing else, she rolled over to him and lifted an eyebrow. Still, nothing else was said, so she asked, “Am I what?”

He shrugged. “Are you good?”

Her brows furrowed. “Am I good? As in am I good as opposed to evil?”

“No.” With a small smile, he looked away and shook his head. “I mean, are you…? Did you…?”

Lips pursed, Lena pushed up onto one elbow and studied his features which seemed to be in the middle of some sort of acrobatics as he either tried to or tried not to say something.

“…satisfied.”

As her mouth formed a circle, she asked, “Are you asking about orgasms?”

Jack’s eyes shifted side to side, and a bit of ruddiness shone under his tan skin. “Oh, dear Lord.”

Lena placed a hand on Jack’s face and smiled. “Aren’t you the sweetest man? Jack, did you think I was breaking out in random prayer to the almighty?” 

“Well, I thought perhaps… I mean, some women…” Jack shrugged.

She applied a gentle kiss to his lips and then a second and a third, just little things, but she continued until he rose up slightly to meet the impact. “Some women are idiots. If you fake an orgasm, you’re only hurting yourself. Communication is an important part of any relationship. We’ve been building that for the past three years, and it definitely showed, didn’t it?”

Smiling, he replied, “Yes, yes, it did.”

She kissed him again, just lips on lips, but it lasted longer. “Good, then don’t worry about asking that again. I can’t promise you the answer will always be yes, but you’ll know if the answer would have been no. All right?”

“Thank you.”

As he lay back, she curled in next to him and placed her head on his shoulder. She reached out with one hand and rubbed her palm against his chest, but pulled back as her nose crinkled. “You’re all sweaty.”

Chuckling, he said, “I wonder how that happened.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

He laughed again, fuller and richer this time. It was a relaxed sound that proved the earlier tension was well and truly forgotten. “You’re such a tease.”

“A tease?” Lifting her head, she crooked one eyebrow at him, a single motion that instilled a very real challenge. “I’m almost certain that description doesn’t suit me at this moment. Apologize.”

Mouth open, he shut it without hesitation and nodded. “I apologize.”

“I accept, and I’ll let you take the first shower.”

“Shower?” Jack grumbled. “Why in the world would I do that? I’m far too comfortable, and I smell fantastic right now. I smell like sweaty Lena Luthor. Hey, if we can’t get the nanobytes working, maybe we can bottle this scent. This might cure cancer.”

“Adorable, but aren’t you supposed to have dinner with your father tonight?”

“Hmmm… I am. I’m going to cancel.”

“Why? Your father is a lovely man. You enjoy your dinners with him.”

“Yes, but I have no intention of getting out of this bed, and that will make dinner with my father rather awkward, don’t you think?”

Lena’s smile was slow, sexy, and a touch dangerous. “I don’t know. Dinner time talk with my mother is always so boring and repetitive. This would certainly liven things up.”

Jack laughed but squeezed his eyes firmly shut against the mental image she had just offered up. “Well, as much as I’m all for improving your relationship with your mother, I have to draw the line somewhere. That idea offends my British sensibilities.”

“Jack, I think several of the things we did must have offended your British sensibilities.”

“No, no, I’m good. I don’t want to share them with your mother, but I’d happily have a repeat with you again.”

“Oh really, even…?” She leaned in close to him and spoke him in hushed tones, quiet whispers of the intimate details they had shared.

Jack smiled, a smile that grew as she listed things off. “No, that wasn’t offensive. Ah, that, yes that was… uh… aerobic but not offensive. Mmmm, that was inspired but still not offensive.” An odd look crossed his face, and he pushed back from her slightly. “We didn’t do that.”

“We didn’t?” Lena smirked. “Is it on your bucket list?”

Mouth slightly agape, Jack nodded. “It is now. I’m afraid I’ll have to call Father and tell him I’ve come down with a case of something that has me laid out, and I just can’t get out of bed. It’s quite tragic.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Watch me.” Jack rolled over, slapping at the side table and only finding the table surface. He rolled back and met her gaze and cocky expression.

Smirking, she said, “I will buy you that new phone. I promise.”

“Call my father for me?”

“Ugh. You’re pathetic,” she teased, slapping his arm gently. “I can’t believe I’m dating you.”

“We’re dating?”

“We’re not?”

“Well, I…” Jack stammered slightly for several moments.

“I feel like an idiot.” She shifted her body away from his, stiffening to reflect the atmosphere in the room, and pulled the covers up to better obscure her body. “I never considered myself a female cliché, but here I am.”

“Lena, I—”

“Jack, it’s not your fault. You didn’t make me any promises. I made assumptions. That’s… That’s on me. It’s a bit more difficult since we live together and… Well, I’ll buy you that phone, and you can figure out what you want to do with the business. I apologize.”

As she made to slide out of bed, he grabbed her arm not tightly but with a certain desperation. “I’m in love with you.”

Everything was quiet as those words hung in their air. Together they lay unmoving until, still facing away from him, Lena asked, “What did you say?”

“I said, I’m in love with you. I am too. I have been since probably our third business meeting. I didn’t even realize it until my father was asking me about business. I’d spent twenty minutes talking to him about it, well, I thought I had. He pointed out I’d spent twenty minutes talking about you. This company, this mission, had been my life’s work, but somehow it had taken a backseat to you in just a few meetings, a handful of phone calls, and a series of emails. How can someone fall in love so fast?”

Rolling over, Lena searched his face, her eyes exploring every aspect as if searching for some sign of deceit. “You love me.”

“I do.”

Her gaze shifted down as she looked at her hands, pale skin with elegant fingers you might expect to see on a concert piano. She didn’t say a word, just blinked.

“Lena, it’s all right. I didn’t say it because I expected—”

“I love you too.”

“Wh… what?”

As a smile tugged at her lips, Lena said, “I can’t tie it down to a business meeting or a time in the lab. I don’t know when it happened, Jack, but I know it happened. I know at some point I knew it happened, and I was worried I’d ruin our friendship, ruin the business if I told you. I didn’t grow up with affection. I’m not good at it, and I didn’t know how to handle your rejection.”

“Rejection!?” He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, a calming gesture he regularly used when struggling with a process in the lab. “How long did you know?”

“I… I’m not sure. A year more like two I suppose but—”

“Two years!” His voice was overly loud at first even seeming angry, but then his whole face gentled, and he nearly whispered, “You love me. Lena Luthor loves me.”

“She does. I do.”

“Say it. I want to hear you say it.”

A hand to his cheek, she leaned close and whispered, “Jack Spheer, I love you.”

He laughed sharply as he gathered her close in his arms. “She loves me!” He pressed his lips against her forehead and kissed the smile into her skin. “She loves me!”

Lena laughed too. “All right, enough of that. You don’t smell nearly as nice as you think you do. I’ll make a deal with you.”

At that offer, Jack sat up in bed, legs crossed and expression attentive. “I’m listening.”

“You take a shower, and I’ll make a phone call.”

“To tell my father I’m… cough, cough… sick?”

“No, you ridiculous charlatan.” Lena pushed up on one elbow, leaning on her side as she explained, “To add another person to the reservation so you can introduce me to your father.”

“But you know my father.”

“Dear Lord,” she said, falling flat on her back again. “Are you really a genius?”

“I’m rather starting to doubt it too. What are we telling my father?”

“About **us**, Jack. About us.”

“Oh!” He smiled now, an ear to ear grin like a child on Christmas morning. “Well, now that is interesting. You do realize he’s going to go running off to your mother so they can start planning our wedding.”

“We haven’t even had a date yet. We haven’t made it out of the apartment yet.”

He shrugged. “Grandchildren then.”

Lena blanched.

“Oh, your face,” he laughed. “You should probably call your mother and warn her about the incoming Spheer orbital that will be in her atmosphere soon.”

“I should, but I’m not going to. I’m just going to ignore her calls until Lex whines at me like usual… though he’s been largely absent of late for some…” Lena’s voice petered off.

“She’ll be tenacious this time, Lena.”

“Then she can come here herself.” Lena shuddered. “Ugh, a visit from my mother. Wait, my mother, having to come to our little apartment over the lab in the garage? I love it! Worth it! Maybe! We’ll be equally miserable. I’ll give her a tour of the lab.”

“You’re awful.”

Sitting up, she looped her arms around his neck and drew him in closer. “That is not what you were saying for the past three hours.” As his eyes grew wide, she asked, “Jack, are you blushing?”

“Ahem.” Sliding out of her grip, he climbed off the bed and made his way to the door. “I’ll leave you to call the restaurant, all right?”

“Fine. Which one is it?”

“Vercillis. Do you have the number?”

“It’s in my phone. I need to make another call too. Plans tonight I need to cancel. It won’t take long.”

“Are you sure because—?”

“Plans with a friend or meet my boyfriend’s father? Please.”

“Boyfriend.” Jack grinned goofily as he spun in a complete circle, his long limbs hanging loose as he stumbled about. “Well, I’ll be quick in the shower and leave you plenty of hot water. I know how much you enjoy a hot shower.”

“Oh, Jack? I do enjoy a hot shower, but don’t hurry. I’ll be along in just a few minutes. Go ahead and get started. I’ll join you.”

“Oh.” He nodded as the delight glinted in his eyes before he sauntered out of the room.

Lena sat smiling and grabbed her phone. It was an easy enough task to call the restaurant and add another to the reservation. In the distance, the shower started, Jack’s deep baritone resonating as he sang wordlessly but with joy. Lena made her way to the doorway and popped just her head out, checking the bathroom as she confirmed the update with the hostess and quietly closed the bedroom door. Back pressed to the portal, her expression changed from its earlier carefreeness to one of deep concentration. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before forcing herself.

Finally, she dialed a number from memory. “It’s Lena Luthor ranking white pawn one. I need a secure line. Password is Englund Gambit.” There was a small pause, perhaps as the code and rank were being confirmed, and then she nodded. “Thank you. Put me through to… Put me through to Kalia Campbell.” She paused, listening, to the response from the other side of the line. “Very well, then please connect me to Isobel Sanchez. Thank you.” There was another pause, and then the line was answered. “Isobel, it’s Lena. I had to go off mission. I need a meeting to provide an update.” Lena shook her head. “No, everything is fine. I’m not compromised, and we’re still on task. I have the situation under control. I can’t leave now. I won’t be able to get away until the morning. Can you provide a detail here to cover things so I can rendezvous?” Lena paused. “Yes, 8:30 is perfect. I’ll meet the car at the usual spot. Thank you. Oh, Isobel, I tried to reach Kalia but—” She nodded again. “A mission. I… I wasn’t aware she was taking on missions again. She didn’t tell me, and I thought that. Well, never mind that. I’ll see you in the morning. Thank you.”

Disconnecting, Lena put her phone back on the side table. She took a deep breath before running a hand through her hair and plastering a smile back on her face. Turning around, her body language returned to her former and relaxed self, and she grabbed her towel from the back of the door before heading out toward the sound of the running shower.

<><> 

Isobel sat back in her chair, eyes wide while she stared across the table at Lena. There was blinking, but no words had been uttered by the queen’s white knight. She opened her mouth, lifting a finger, then shook her head and closed her mouth as she sat back in her chair again. Across from her, Lena sat back patiently.

Finally, Isobel said, “You will explain this to me again.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake, Isobel!” Lena sighed loudly. “I fucked Jack, all right? It’s not more complicated than that.”

“On purpose?”

“Well, it didn’t just,” Lena’s hand move quickly in front of her from her left side to her right, “slide in there. Yes, on purpose. Just write up a report and submit it to Oskana. Add it to the file. If she has any follow-up questions, she knows how to get in touch with me.” Her report given and, in her mind, her briefing now over, Lena pushed back her chair as she rose.

“Sit.”

“I—”

“Sit,” Isobel repeated. Though her tone made it clear she would accept nothing less than obedience, her cadence was airy and even a bit seductive as always. “I do not know how things are handled when you report to the white bishop, but I am not Kalia. You may be the first pawn, but I am still the queen’s knight. You will sit when told to sit.”

The battle of wills was short-lived as order and rules too over, and Lena took her seat.

“Good. Better. Now, explain.”

“What’s there to explain?” Lena shrugged. “I told you that the situation was quickly escalating out of control. My control of Jack has been…Well, he’s been slipping further and further from me these past months. We’ve needed a breakthrough, a real one, and we’re only making incremental progress. I hoped Checkmate’s scientists might providing some illumination on the issue we’re having with rendering or—”

Isobel’s laugh floated across the room.

“What?”

“Men and women twice your age, they fawn over your notes and lectures, Lena. You are the best scientist Checkmate has.”

“Certainly not. I don’t even have my Ph.D. yet.”

Pulling out her nail file, Isobel studied a nail as she began to shape it. “There have been no breakthroughs. So, you and Jack have had not enough progress and then what happened next?”

“Jack, he just… Well, I woke up yesterday morning and found him pacing. He was pacing in the kitchen. I’m not certain he’d even gone to bed. I think he went to the garage, to our lab, and had reached the end of his rope.”

“His rope? What is his rope? Explain.”

Lena nodded. “It’s idiomatic speech. It means he’d given up. If I’d been with him, I expect I could have de-escalated him. He was alone, though. He was alone, and he spiraled out of control. I tried to bring him back around, but he kept changing conversations in this confusing manner. Look, I’m not an idiot. I knew Jack had feelings for me. We all knew his crush was rather convenient for our purposes, especially as he didn’t date before I came along. It felt manipulative, but I wasn’t really hurting him by just… being there.”

“You’re certainly being there now,” Isobel muttered.

“I had to!”

Her filing paused, Isobel looked up. “Explain.”

“Well, the project—”

“No.” Elbow on the table, Isobel pointed with the nail file, a ladies accessory that looked like a weapon in her hand and for a good reason. Though the gesture was casual, it was not reassuring to anyone who had read her file. “You are not one given to grandiose emotional gestures. We have worked together for three years now. Your control, this is something I respect about you. You have matured beautifully under your new queen. So, explain why you just ‘had to’ fall into bed with your subject.”

Opening and closing her mouth, Lena looked down and nodded. “Max Lord.”

“What?”

Meeting Isobel’s gaze, Lena’s voice was steadier this time. “Jack and I were arguing in the kitchen. Well, not so much arguing as… It doesn’t matter. He kept going back and forth between not making any professional or personal growth. I could tell he was talking about me. He felt stagnant in both the project and our relationship. Apparently, I’ve just made things worse for him on an emotional front by being around. I never realized it.”

“You had sex with this man out of guilt?”

“Good God, no. I had sex with him because of Max Lord.”

Recoiling, Isobel said, “You had sex with him because of the black king? Eso es repugnante. That is even more repugnant.”

“No. No, no, no, no!” Standing again, Lena waved her hands in front of her but sat again while Isobel was pointing back to the seat. “Sorry. No, you misunderstand. Jack was going to sell off his shares in the business, and he owns 51%. While we were arguing, Max Lord called several times on Jack’s phone. He was selling off to Max Lord.”

“Oh!” Isobel sat upright. “The black side made a move on your subject?”

“Absolutely. Jack was ready to sell off too. Isobel, if I didn’t do something immediately, three years of our work would have been for nothing. Max Lord would have owned the nanobyte technology project. Jack would have been working for him and—” 

“Ah, that’s what this was about.”

“What?” Lena shook her head. “It was about the project. We’ve put too many years into it to—”

“Lena.” With an unusual softness in her eyes, Isobel shook her head. “Kalia has been actively opposing Max Lord’s action and trying to protect assets she feels are unsuitable for recruitment by him ever since... You are doing the same.”

One finger pressed to the table, Lena said, “The black king only recruited Everett because Kalia blocked his recruitment of me. What happened to Everett is because of me.”

“Max Lord considers people to be disposable assets. That is to blame for what happened to Everett. When he was recruited—”

“Because of me,” Lena repeated.

“You and Kalia have spoken about this?” When there was only silence, Isobel added, “I know you two have. She cares very much for you and does not blame you. You should do the same.”

“Does this have anything to do with the update on my mission?”

With a sigh, Isobel went back to filing her nail. “I will update the queen. This is good work. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Well, Jack certainly thought so,” Lena mumbled. “Can I go now?”

Isobel nodded in dismissal, her gaze never leaving Lena until the younger woman had departed. Opening the file in front of her, the knight smiled slightly as she flipped through a few pages. As if something final had occurred, she flipped it closed, rested one hand on top of it, pulled out her phone.

It only took a moment before the call was answered on the other end. “It is Isobel Sanchez, ranking white queen’s knight. I need a secure line. Password is Catalan Opening.” She waited for a few seconds. “Thank you. Put me through to Oskana Verchenko. Thank you.” There was another pause, and then the line was answered. “My queen, I will have a written report to you within the hour on your pawn’s mission. There has been an interesting development, but there is no need for concern. I did want to speak with you about another matter.” Leaning back in her hair, Isobel grinned while she listened. “Yes, well, you had asked me for my recommendation for the empty square of your white rook. I’ve been giving that matter some thought, and I have an interesting recommendation.” Isobel laughed sharply as her fingers drummed on the folder. “No, I do not think Kalia will be a problem. Unless Ahmed and his people stand in fierce opposition, I think we may have found our next rook.”


End file.
